Good Morning Marchers! I read this article from Real Age.com and thought it had some good ideas, especially with the holidays around the corner! I know I always get more munchy around that time! Have a great Monday! ================================== You don't have to be smarter than a quiz-show fifth-grader to learn how to control the urge to eat. Just follow these ingenious tips to keep your appetite under wraps: ? Feed it protein for breakfast. You'll be less hungry later on and end up eating 267 fewer calories during the day. At least that's what happened on days when St. Louis University researchers gave overweight women two scrambled eggs and two slices of jelly-topped toast for breakfast rather than about half that protein. ? Make it climb a flight of stairs. At home, store the most tempting foods way out of reach. For instance, Cornell University food psychologist Brian Wansink, PhD, keeps his favorite soda in a basement fridge. "Half the time I'm too lazy to run down there to get it, so I drink the water in the kitchen." ? Sleep on it. People who don't get their 8 hours of ZZZs experience hormonal fluctuations that increase appetite, report researchers. Learn more about how sleep affects your diet. ? Give it something else to think about. When scientists scanned the brains of people eating different foods, they found that the brain reacts to fat in the mouth in much the same way that it responds to a pleasant aroma. So if you feel a craving coming on, apply your favorite scent. ? Never let it see a heaping plate. The more food that's in front of you, the more you'll eat. So at a restaurant, ask your waiter to pack up half of your meal before serving it to you, then eat the extras for lunch the next day. ? Put it under the lights. You consume fewer calories at a well-lit restaurant table than you do dining in a dark corner. "In the light, you're more self-conscious and worry that other patrons are watching what you eat," explains Wansink. ? Talk it down. Entertaining friends with a great story doesn't give you much time to eat up, so you'll probably still have food on your plate when they're done. Once they're finished, call it quits, too. ? Offer it a seat. If you sit down to snack -- and use utensils and a plate -- you'll eat fewer calories at subsequent meals. ? Satisfy it with soup. Start lunch with about 130 calories worth of vegetable soup and you'll eat 20% fewer calories overall during lunch, say Penn State experts. ? Give it little choice. Packages that contain assorted varieties of cookies, candy, dips, cheese, etc., make you want to try all the flavors. The effect is so powerful, says Wansink, that when people are given 10 colors of M&Ms to munch on, not 7, they eat 30% more! Oh, and one more thing: Feeding your appetite a diverse diet that is low in calories and high in nutrients can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger. Sweet.

Barbara, Thank you for pushing us on. I do still get out and walk, but I sure do hate this time change. Walking in the cold and dark and rain is a bit of a pain, but it is so worth it. We will meet our goal. Give Stephanie a hug from me as well. I'm sure you will lift her spirits. Take care, Rick

Veterans and current service members capture my heart! My husband is a Viet Nam vet and I have spent the past 5 years resolving unemployment insurance claims for ex-service members separating from the military. A big THANK YOU to all our Veterans and members currently serving and their families. Among our MARCHers - Amy, MeMe and Danni all come to mind. These wives and mothers are sacrificing for me and this country while raising their kids and dealing with an absentee husband who is giving their service to our country. What great men and women who love this country. Yesterday morning we went out to eat breakfast and when we went into the restaurant, the owner asked my husband if he was a vet - to which he responded yes. He said let me shake your hand and thank you for serving our country and by the way, you and your wife's breakfast is on me this morning. What a nice way to honor our military people. Thank you military persons for my freedom and your service to our country. Barbara

Hey Mimi- I'm sorry about your aunt's passing I have a lot of aches and pains in my joints and bones the last 6 months, but nothing serious. I was told that it could be our skeletal adjustment, after so many years of carrying so much extra weight, our walk/gait may be different? We may be "off" in the way we stand/walk/sit, etc. is how it was explained to me. I don't know if this has anything to do with what you're dealing with... it could have nothing to do with WLS. I know Rebeka A. has been having some back issues, but I don't think it sounds like the same problem. Good luck.

ok Barb, bf read your post today and to help "believe" in maintaining my goal, we bought an early christmas gift a second treadmill Its for his house, there is one here, but its going to be fun walking (hopefully running at some point) together on them during the winter months when we're not walking outside. I've been getting in my vitamins faithfully and every morning when I take my calcium (on your suggestion) you pop into my head! you're suggestion is why I take my calcium when i waited to take them at night, I always forgot Enjoy your visit with Stephanie, tell her I said and shes in my thoughts! we're going to see Nunsense tomorrow in Dracut. hope all is well!